SAYERS PUTS HER 2012 INJURY DEMONS TO BED

Published:09:01Saturday 01 August 2015

Goldie Sayers’ mother conceded she was overcome with emotion after seeing her daughter shake off her London 2012 injury demons.

Liz Sayers was among a capacity crowd inside the London Olympic Stadium for the Anniversary Games at the weekend as the Newmarket-based javelin ace threw a season’s best 62.09 metres to seal a sixth-place finish and comfortably surpass the 61m qualifying standard for next month’s World Championships in Beijing, helping to secure her selection.

However, for the 33-year-old, her performance represented more than just promising signs ahead of a return to Beijing where she finished fourth in the 2008 Olympic Games, as the competition saw her return to the stadium almost three years to the day that Sayers’ career looked in doubt following a torn elbow ligament, turning what should have been one of the highlights of her career into a nightmare.

“Just to go out in that stadium where she had come off three years earlier at the London 2012 Olympics thinking it was the end of her career was a massive challenge,” revealed Liz Sayers.

“So to perform the way she did was just phenomenal. It was a really emotional for all of us and I just yelled my head off when she threw the distance that she did. It was great to be there to see it.

“I was absolutely delighted for her. Just to deal with the psychological elements of going back to the stadium where she had such bad memories was a stiff challenge.

“I was chuffed to bits and it was great to see her back out there. I know she was really happy and she is delighted to be going back to Beijing again.

“It was a big challenge against a world class line-up, but I know she was delighted with her performance and the reception of the crowd.”

Reflecting on her emotional return to the Olympic Stadium, Sayers could not hide her delight as she took to social media platform Twitter following the competition.

“So good to be back competing in the Olympic stadium three years and four operations later - it’s worth every bit of effort taken to get there,” tweeted Sayers, who became the first British woman to throw over 65 metres since javelins were redesigned in 1999, as she set a new British record of 65.05m back in 2007.

“Very happy to have made it onto my 5th World Championships team. Back to one of my favourite stadiums, the Bird’s Nest #Beijing2015.”